[NEohioPAL]Berko review: LUNACY (Dobama)

[Roy Berko]

WOW!  Mesmerizing LUNACY presented by Dobama at CPH

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	

Every once in a while a theatre-goer sees a play and a
performance so stunning that the only word that
describes it is mesmerizing.  That is the case with
Dobama Theatre’s world premiere production of Sandra
Perlman’s ‘LUNACY.’

Perlman, a Cleveland playwright, who is a member of
the Cleveland Play House’s Playwright’s Unit, and a
professor of play writing at Case Western University,
has penned a short one and a-half hour play (including
a brief intermission), which grabs and holds the
audience’s attention.  This is a fine script!  

Perlman is fortunate that director Mark Alan Gordon
has a clear grasp of the necessary mood and pacing the
script needs, and a cast that gives flawless
performances.  With a lesser production, the
excellence of the script might not come through as
strongly as it does.

‘LUNACY’ takes place in 1827, but its implications are
timeless.  As written, it concerns Edwin Forrest, a
twenty-one year old rising star.  His acting specialty
is Shakespeare. As he is rehearsing ‘KING LEAR,’
Cornelia Lamb,  a young Quaker woman, enters the
theatre.  As a result of her challenge, Forrest
becomes wrapped up in the mystery of why Benjamin,
Cornelia’s father, not only thinks he is, but is the
perfect Lear.

Questions abound.  What makes for a perfect
performance of a fictional character?  Who is crazy,
the person who attempts to portray something he is
not, or someone who believes and feels that he is the
character?   What can we learn about reality from
those who are, in fact, lunatics?  Is our role in life
to seek out the perfect role and then live it until we
complete the very last line of the character’s play?

Michael Regnier gives a career high performance as
Benjamin Lamb.  He doesn’t perform Benjamin, Regnier
is Benjamin, and, therefore, the perfect Lear.  This
is a mind blowing enactment.  Wow!!!  I only wish I
could experience Regnier doing a full-length
production of ‘KING LEAR.’

Dan Hammond (Edwin) is Regnier’s near match as an
actor.  Edwin, early in the play, is trying to learn
Lear’s lines.  He fights to make the character both
real and flawless.  As the play develops, so does
Edwin’s understanding of Lear.  Hammond is wonderful
while allowing us to experience his awakening to what
a real character development is all about.  Another
Wow!

The third Wow! is Bernadette Clemens’ sensitive
portrayal of Cornelia, Benjamin’s daughter.  She gives
nuance and texture to the role, thus creating a real
person who experiences rather than acts feelings.

Director Mark Alan Gordon has created a near-perfect
theatrical image.  He is sensitive to the characters’
needs to underplay certain segments and rant in
others.  He has masterfully worked with the actors to
key ideas, and correctly pace scenes.  

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  ‘LUNACY’ has to be ranked near the
very top of shows in this area’s local season of fine
productions (‘EQUUS’ at Beck, ‘FAT PIG’ at Bang and
Clatter, ‘THE PRICE’ at Ensemble, ‘HAY FEVER’ at GLTF
.)  ‘LUNACY’ is a go see, a must see, an absolutely
don’t miss!

Dobama’s ‘LUNACY,’ runs through May 27 in the Brooks
Theatre at the Cleveland Play House.  For tickets call
216-795-7000




Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2002 through 2007, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info
      
Roy's theatre and dance reviews appear regularly on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.  His reviews also appear on www.coolcleveland.com

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